Freedom7 wrote:So I ordered this when it was released but never had the time to build it due to work etc..
I now have the time so it's my new years resolution to build it.
I am planning on adding some extra lighting using fiber optic and some extra detail parts etc.
I will be going through all the build blogs but if anyone has any Must have/do ideas please feel free to post links.
I am really looking forward to this build as its probably the biggest thing I have ever attempted.
Take care to mind where parts that come in issue x and are only used in issue y are kept and labelled. That really blew a lot of time for me personally (also not the most organized soul on this planet...).
Prime and base coat everything as you receive them, once the upper and lower hulls are plated it becomes a lot more cumbersome to move around, etc. I would stick to the tamiya rattlecan recommends to give consistent easy results.
The interior sucks imo, I wish it actually wasn't part of the package, so personally, I just assembled the main room in case it added structural support. I just figured I don't want to display the interior anyway - most blogs put in dozens of hours of customization to make it look good.
Test the electronics asap as they are known to be faulty!
On a final note, if you're airbrushing the weathering, it's extremely forgiving to make mistakes on the hull plates, I have literally resprayed base on top of mistakes, redid the detailing/weathering and it actually looked the better for it.
I'd also advise using oils (abteilung starship filth is perfect) for weathering, it's light years easier than dealing with acrylic or ink based detailing solutions. Tamiya weathering kits are also great for the burns, rust spots etc.
Have fun!